Harvard Tops Several Graduate School Rankings

Harvard University is scoring high in U.S. News and World Report’s latest rankings of the nation’s top graduate schools. The rankings were released this week, and are contained in the magazine’s April 10 issue.

The Harvard Medical School, the School of Public Health, and the Graduate School of Education are each ranked number one in the country. The Harvard Business School tied Stanford for the top spot in that category. The Harvard Law School ranked third in the nation.

The methodologies used to compile the rankings differed by category, although in each case, a school’s “reputation,” based on surveys of deans and senior faculty, determined 40% of its overall score. “Student selectivity” was also considered, based on several factors, including test scores, and in some cases, grade point average. “Research activity” and “primary-care rate” also weighed heavily in the medical school rankings. “Faculty resources” and “research activity” were two factors germane to the schools of education rankings. When ranking business schools, the magazine also considered “placement success.”

U.S. News and World Report has been ranking the nation’s graduate schools annually since 1990. The magazine editors remind readers that the rankings are to be considered a “useful research tool — one efficient means of comparing schools’ academic strengths and weaknesses,” while admitting that students need to consider a variety of other factors, including cost, financial aid, size, and location, when determining which school to attend.